I have written so much on breastfeeding for families.com that I think they could start their own little breastfeeding library between my blogs and the blogs of others who have also written on breastfeeding. However, I have focused a lot on how to get started and deal with problems. Indeed, this seems to be a much bigger issue for most women.
However, someone recently pointed out to me that weaning a baby would be a welcome addition to the baby blogs. Sometimes weaning is from the breast to a bottle so that mom can go back to work. Other times the weaning is onto formula and still other times weaning refers to the gradual decline of nursing until one day baby doesn’t nurse any more. Sometimes weaning has to be abrupt and other times it’s a gradual and a planned process. Regardless of your situation–we’ll cover it! If you have a specific question on weaning, please feel free to let me know and I’ll try to cover it here.
To start though, I thought I would give a brief overview of the popular thought, issues and terms associated with weaning.
Child-led weaning. . .
Is a process in which weaning is entirely child driven. This is the most natural process to achieve weaning and independence from the breast. Child-led weaning will usually mean that a mom is willing to nurse at least a full year and generally longer.
Abrupt weaning. . .
Generally what happens is a specific event like illness or tragedy that makes breastfeeding impossible. Breastfeeding is stopped abruptly and without warning, most likely in a child under two years of age. This is not the preferable method to wean and some pediatricians have even noted symptoms in infants skin to PTSD as a result of abrupt weaning.
Mother-led weaning
This type of weaning is done because the mother has decided that it is time to stop breastfeeding. There are a variety of reasons why women decide it’s time to stop. I will go into further detail in another blog.
“Don’t Offer, Don’t Refuse”. . .
Is one type of technique to use while weaning. This is a mother led approach and basically while you don’t offer your child the breast, neither do you refuse it when he asks.
When is the best time to wean?
This question all depends on the individual mother and child. Rather than setting a magical age at which you think your child will be ready it is much more effective (and will cause less stress to everyone involved) if you look for emotional markers in you and your child. There are a lot of opinions out there though and this can be a very controversial topic.
Look soon for more blogs on the weaning process. I would love to hear about any questions you have as well!
Related Blogs & Forums:
To discuss how long is too long to breastfeed visit this forum!
Extended Breastfeeding: Why You Should Breastfeed For a Few Years
The Non-Breastfeeder’s Guide to Breastfeeding Etiquette